Under a tree
by Slayer Z
Summary: A short little scene that appears in Dirge of Cerberus with Vincent and Lucrecia under a tree. Oneshot, VinxLuc
1. A picnic

Heya folks and welcome to my first real romance fic! This is just a short little scene that happens in a flashback from DoC that I thought was kind of cute.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Square.

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The warm breeze was enough to put anyone to sleep. So Lucrecia couldn't exactly blame the Turk laying on the grass, arms resting behind his head as he snoozed lightly. She found herself smile down at his sleeping form, despite the terrible memory he brought her every time she gazed at him.

She bent over and whispered his name twice before his eyes fluttered open, crimson orbs staring into chocolate brown. He didn't seem to have registered what was going on yet, Lucrecia noted with a small giggle.

"Fall asleep here, and you might catch a cold." Her gentle smile radiated down on his startled face as his mind finally clicked back into reality. The Turk suddenly jerked forward into a sitting position and stared at the beautiful scientist bent over him. His eyes were wide with shock and slight horror at being caught off-guard.

Lucrecia let a frown crease her lips as she examined him. A Turk that seemed to act completely different from the stories she'd heard of them. They were said to be a ruthless organization, having their hands in every sort of black market business out there; drug dealing, kidnapping and even some accounts of terrorism. The one who sat here in front of her however seemed completely different.

A smirk played at her lips when she decided to test him, knowing hardly anything about her bodyguard. The best way to start was with a slight tease and he'd given her one by the way he'd woken up.

"Why are you so surprised? Is my face that hideous?" If the rumors were true, he'd respond by saying something like, "I don't know, let me take a closer look," or "Yeah, I was having a nightmare until you came around and woke me up. I kind of liked the nightmare better." Instead, Vincent spoke in an apologetic tone, shaking his head slightly.

"No. I didn't…I'm sorry." His red eyes were soft and his voice was gentle, his eyes now cast upon the soft dirt underneath them. Lucrecia smiled all over again, satisfied with his serious and cute answer. But she wasn't over yet, throwing another playful bout at him.

"And how are you supposed to be my bodyguard if you're up here sleeping?" Again, their eyes locked together and Lucrecia sighed inwardly. His eyes were just like his father's: sad and serious but also determined and strong. They were easy to get lost in, so entrancing was the crimson color of his eyes that she hardly noticed he was replying to her question.

Vincent scowled at himself for being awoken by Lucrecia. Of all people, why'd it been her? At first he'd thought he was still dreaming but when he found that she wasn't doing exactly what he'd always dreamt of her doing, he knew it was reality.

"The warm breeze…I was only going to rest my eyes for a minute," the Turk answered honestly, hoping that she wasn't going to scold him. A small sigh of relief escaped his lips as her soft smile widened and she giggled gently at him.

"Well, I have to admit, the breeze is quite comfortable." His eyes moved up and down her body, taking in everything they could. This was as close as Vincent Valentine was allowed to get at the moment, he knew. Might as well make the best of what he had for the time being.

"However," again, she caught him off-guard and he prayed she hadn't noticed him looking. When he looked back up at her face, he noticed a playful smile placed on her delicate features, "I think you're in my seat." Vincent stared absently at Lucrecia, clearly puzzled. She giggled once more at his expression, holding out a picnic basket that she'd had behind her back this whole time.

Her ginger eyes pulled him in, threatening to never let him escape their gaze. He didn't make any move to try and escape either as they stared at each other silently, listening to their hearts that spoke their silent words. Lucrecia felt herself blush at the awkwardness of the moment before she cleared her throat and asked in a friendly tone, "Care to join me?"

Vincent felt his heart wrench as he tore his gaze away from her face and eyes and down to the picnic basket. Immediately he wanted to say yes, just so he could sit down next to her and gaze upon her body, stealing glances at her as often as possible. He stopped himself from blurting out like a child and instead continued with his honest, yet modest answers.

"Only if you wish me to," he murmured as a smile flickered onto his face. She returned his expression with another teasing smile, sitting down next to him and rummaging through the basket nonchalantly.

"Well, I was planning to eat alone." Vincent turned away dejectedly, his heart being torn out and thrown across the field of grass. Gentle fingers wrapped themselves around his chin and turned his gaze back to look at Lucrecia.

"Not that I mind, though."

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Yep, very short. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!


	2. Not enough is too much

Well..

Decided to make another chappie for this fic!

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_Too many mistakes…_

"Talk! Why did you let this happen?" A hated filled voice queried, loathing apparent in every part of the being. The scientist who had been asked the question simply cackled for a moment and responded with one word.

"Silence," Hojo smiled maniacally at the Turk in front of him. A tense silenced this command, during which Hojo's hands moved to his back as he felt for his revolver. His long, bony fingers wrapped themselves around the grip of the pistol quietly as soon as he'd found it, slowly pulling it out from his belt.

A loathing Vincent Valentine did not see this action, too preoccupied with trying to keep his cool. His lips twitched upwards in anger though no noise came out of his throat. "You!" he finally managed to mutter, his mind too clouded with hate that he couldn't think straight.

Fed up with the arguing, Hojo pulled out the revolver and aimed at Vincent's chest without hesitation. There was a split-second where Hojo echoed himself, "Silence!" before a gunshot rang throughout the basement of Shinra Manor. Vincent gasped in surprise, crumpling to the wooden floor of the laboratory.

Blood oozed from the wound, drenching Vincent's suit in crimson. The pain was so immense that he just barely hear Hojo muttering to himself about something. The Turk didn't care much and instead focused on trying to focus. Despite his effort to hang onto his life, the pain was just too much. His vision blurred and his breathing became short, raspy gasps.

"Why can't these people just keep quiet?" Hojo asked himself as if the problem at hand were a simple matter of forgetting to pick up the groceries. The evil scientist gazed down at the wounded Turk with a strange sort of satisfaction. Thoughts began to formulate in that deranged, twisted mind of his and he suddenly began to pace to help him sort these new ideas out into actual plans.

"I can alter his body," he began with an insane smile, "to help with my next experiment. "It would take a genius, but that is something I am!" Hojo cackled once more, his shrill voice reverberating around the laboratory. "This success here," he motioned towards Vincent's body as he spoke to himself, continuing his pacing, "will justify my theory and allow my next few tests to avoid being failures!"

Vincent's eyes rolled backwards and suddenly his vision blackened out.

_Too many mistakes…_

_Too many secrets…_

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Vincent Valentine walked through the Manor with a question blazed in the back of his mind. It was vital that he saw Hojo right away! If the rumor he'd heard from Shinra Headquarters was true…

Vincent shook his head to clear himself of that thought. It bothered him way too much and he didn't want to simply jump the gun. Ironically, his hand was laid on the grip of his pistol so tightly that his knuckles were going white, but his mind was focused so much on the possibilities of what the rumor would mean that Vincent didn't notice.

The Turk had never truly cared for Hojo. The man seemed so crude and absorbed in his experiments that he had time for nothing else other than theories, experiments and analyzing. Eating and sleep were just things haphazardly thrown into the scientist's schedule. So when Vincent barged into Hojo's bare and cold room, with hardly a table adorning its capacity, his dislike showed.

"Is it true?" was the first thing out of his mouth. He didn't want any beating around the bush and no bull-crap. All he wanted was to hear the truth.

Lucrecia Crescent's high-heeled shoes echoed with each step she took. In her hand was a report that Hojo recommended she look up. It was one of Professor Gast's reports, written up some years back. The report was highly confidential and strictly forbidden to any of the lower Shinra employees. Across the first page, written in bold, red letters were the words:

The JENOVA Project

She flipped through the document, her eyes lightly skimming each page. It was filled with a secret finding of Shinra, deep inside the Northern Crater. Apparently, a Cetra (or Ancient) had been found three years ago and excavated by Professor Gast, being brought to Nibelheim to conduct a few experiments: namely, injecting the cells into humans to see if they took on any of the Cetras' abilities.

"It's only been a few days since Gast left," Lucrecia spoke out loud, looking up from the sheets of paper. The professor had left so suddenly and quietly that it was a few hours before anyone noticed his disappearance. "Wonder why…?"

Lucrecia stopped at Hojo's room and placed her hand on the doorknob. She stopped when she heard voices behind the wooden door, speaking.

"Is what true?" Hojo asked with an inhuman glare in his eye. The way Hojo asked made Vincent think that the professor already knew what the Turk was asking about.

Keeping his cool, Vincent began, "That Lucrecia…" he stopped dead. Hojo quirked a brow at the use of her first name, a small smirk playing at his lips. There were a few moments of dead air before Vincent cleared his throat and fixed his mistake. "That Doctor Crescent is to take part in this project?"

Hearing the voice of her bodyguard, Lucrecia strode into the room with the best air of business she could muster. Why…why had he come to ask such a question?

"Its true," she spoke up as soon as she found her voice. Their eyes met for a moment, but Lucrecia simply keep up the gaze and broke it, glancing at the table as she tossed the documents on the surface and asked, "Why are you so surprised?"

Vincent shook his head in disbelief. This wasn't the Lucrecia he'd fallen for…

"But using your own child for an experiment?" he cried out. It was so inhumane, so insane…not to mention it was Lucrecia's child! How could she just…

"Hah," Hojo laughed, "I don't know what you're implying, but both of us are scientists. We know what we are doing." Hojo smirked at Vincent and his eyes gleamed dangerously behind his glasses. Seeing the Turk ready to respond, Hojo quickly cut him off. "You are the last person to have any word in this! Now leave us at once, boy!"

Vincent lowered his head in shock. How could they allow this? This was a human life! Lucrecia's baby! "But…" he found himself at a loss for words. Obviously the Turk had no authority over the scientists in this area, but Vincent was desperate to make them see.

"But what?" Lucrecia's voice cut through the air and slashed at Vincent. It was a sharp, demanding voice. He could almost feel the blood oozing from the wound caused by words and the void caused by love.

Lucrecia did her best to mask her hurt at his expression, swallowing back tears. Her only way of doing this was by continuing to lash out at him. "If you have something to say, say it!" Thoughts drifted in her mind…

_Say you love me…_

_Say you need me…_

_Just hold me and save me from this nightmare…_

A shot of pain ran its way into Vincent's heart as he heard these words. First she'd chosen Hojo after all this…all their time together…and now she was treating him like this.

"No, no…I'm just a bodyguard," he thought. "Why should I get any affection from her?"

Giving it a last chance, Vincent slightly raised his head to look at Lucrecia's reddened face. "Are you… Are you sure this is what you really want?" His voice hid nothing: his hurt could be heard in his gentle, timid tone. His pain was apparent in his eyes and his sorrow was obvious in just the way he looked at Lucrecia.

_Say no…_

_Say you really want this to stop…_

_Say you really just want help…_

"Am I sure? Am I sure?" she repeated the question and let it dangle in her mind. Was this really what she wanted…? Did she want to be with Hojo? Did she want to experiment on her own unborn child? Did she want to continue to see the look of grief on Vincent's face? Did she want to live her life in a sea of lies?

"If this only concerns me," Lucrecia started up, her eyes becoming glossy. This would be it. She would either say what she felt or lie. All she needed was courage to say the truth. "Then yes, I am sure!"

_Too many mistakes…_

_Too many secrets…_

_Too many lies…_

Vincent lowered his head once more, this time in shame. How could it come to this? There must be something wrong with him that caused her to reject him…yes…he wasn't good enough for her. That must be it. He was just a Turk after all, a lowly suit that walked around and did shady business in alleyways. She was a brilliant, beautiful scientist working with the greatest minds ever born.

"I just…" Vincent's bangs hid his eyes as a tear rolled down the length of his nose and past his lips. Silently it fell to the cold, wooden flooring. Unable to face the two scientists like this, Vincent turned and walked silently out of the room.

Lucrecia burst out in sobs, leaning on the table for support. Her vision became blurred by all the tears that washed down her face and fell to the surface of the table like a heavy downpour of sorrow. She expected a comforting hand on her back, like in the days when she worked with Vincent's father. But there was none. Just herself.

Hojo was already staring out the window, muttering something. He seemed completely oblivious to Lucrecia's breakdown. Then, without a word to her, he strode out of the room, taking Gast's report with him.

"Vincent…I'm so sorry…"

_Too many mistakes…_

_Too many secrets…_

_Too many lies…_

_Too many tears…_

Outside, a large, oak tree lost a single leaf. The green leaf fluttered down silently before being picked up by the breeze and carried away into the distance. It passed a somber Vincent Valentine on its way out of Nibelheim. Vincent watched it as it was carried away, out into the world.

_Too many regrets…_

_Too many unspoke words..._

_Not enough love..._

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Second chappie to this fic that I thought was gonna be oneshot! Yay-zors! Enough reviews and I might..you know..


	3. Under a tree

Got a nice amount of reviews for my previous chapter, so here's another!

This may be the last chapter (probably). Unless, of course, I get so much fan attention that I HAVE to keep going.

But I doubt that.

But you guys who are reviewing are great! Thanks a lot!

And here's the story!

* * *

_Sephiroth is dead…_

_…so sorry…_

_…my punishment…_

_Sins…_

_Chaos and Omega…_

_Save me…_

It'd been many years since that time, when the oak tree grew in Nibelheim. Lucrecia sat alone, her knees hugged close to her chest as she whimpered softly at the cruel memories flooding her mind. Many of them were not pleasant and many more were just downright boring and painful. But there seemed to be one that wouldn't leave her be for one second of each slow passing day.

It was that day when Chaos had been born. Inside of Vincent Valentine was a destructive WEAPON created by stagnant mako…tainted lifestream. And Lucrecia was partly to blame for that turn of events.

All she'd wanted was to save his life so she wouldn't be without him. She just wanted to speak to him one more time and to have just one last picnic with him, without science preoccupying her or without Hojo breathing down her neck whenever he needed her.

But now…

She'd seen him and told him to stay back, just like in those days. And now she knew that her biologically altered son was dead. The only thing she had left in the world was gone…

Except for…

It had been too painful to talk to him and too hurtful to gaze at him. Vincent had been a deathly pale now and his voice was much more gruff, his attire more gothic. And the once cute haircut was now a raven-colored waterfall, cascading down the man's shoulders much like the water outside of Lucrecia's cave.

She couldn't live with this. There was mako here, Lucrecia noted. Perhaps she could simply encase herself and freeze time, stop the world and just become blank. Nothing would affect her and nothing would hurt her. She would have no feelings, no thoughts and no emotions. Just the darkness of an empty mind and empty soul.

Lucrecia turned to gaze at her only escape…

* * *

Cloud spoke quietly with Tifa, keeping her away from the somber Vincent Valentine. The enigmatic gunman sat quietly in a chair opposite of Tifa. As usual, his face held no signs of what he was thinking. But with what had just occurred, it wasn't very hard to take a guess.

Tifa wondered if that was what Vincent always thought about…

"Still have to find that key," Cloud murmured quietly, tapping on the submarine's control panel. Tifa allowed herself another moment of gazing at Vincent before turning around and facing Cloud.

"Yeah, but we've looked everywhere down here! The ocean's too big Cloud…don't you think there's another way?" Cloud shrugged and pulled on a large lever which caused a few flashy lights to come on and beeping to ring out.

"We'll head to Costa del Sol to rest and then continue to search tomorrow."

* * *

_…nothing I could do…_

_…hold me…_

_…so sorry…_

_…tell me…_

_…love?_

Vincent stood outside of the sunny region of Costa del Sol. His cloak flapped in the wind along with his hair, a soft breeze quickly turning into a harsh gale. He had his arms folded across his chest and the look of indifference on his face (as always). Thoughts plagued his mind and pestered him with questions.

_…could've stopped it?_

_…why?_

_…too weak?_

_…silence!_

A small sigh escaped Vincent and his breath mingled with the air, a wisp floating away into the distance. Just like her…

"I need to see her," his gruff voice muttered as he turned on his heels, heading to the port of Costa del Sol. He wanted to go alone this time.

It wasn't long before he got to the submarine and comfortably sat himself at the helm. A few quick button presses, a lever pull, flashy lights and he was down in the depths of the ocean, hardly a shadow moving in the pitch black.

He stared down at his phone, asking himself if he should call the party and tell them of his whereabouts and that he was using the sub. In case Cloud wanted to suddenly take off without telling anyone, like that night when _she_ had died. Vincent decided against it however; they didn't need to know what he was doing. Besides, there was probably no signal down here anyway.

What would he say when he got there? Would she still be there, just sitting alone in that cave? Was she still mad?

_Tell me…_

Vincent let his metallic fingers scratch against the panel as he reached over and pulled another lever. The regular beeping and flashing occurred as the submarine ascended into a lake just under a waterfall. Either side was surrounded by mountains that stood large, as if defending something. Or someone.

The hatch opened and Vincent hopped out swiftly, landing on a soft dirt trail. The gunman's eyes followed the trail as it moved upwards and curved around behind the waterfall. He allowed himself a moment to breathe and brace himself for what was to come.

_Hold me..._

Then he began moving up the trail, step-by-step. A dull thud against his chest reminded him just how human and weak he was. Pained by love and haunted by thoughts; a brooding man apathetic of everything and yet affected by everything. Vincent mentally kicked himself for such a thought. He deserved every bit of his punishment.

_Love me…_

The sound of the majestic waterfall died down as Vincent walked into the cave behind it, a wall of water guarding the treasure inside. The walls were shimmering with mako, the soil beneath his golden boots glowing. The lifestream was abundant here, showing itself on the inside of the cave.

But what Vincent was more focused on was the woman inside a crystal at the far end. The woman he'd come here to see and speak to again was now hiding, encased in a crystal.

A stone in the river of time.

"Just like me," Vincent remarked, pressing forth to see if Lucrecia was still awake. A small pool surrounded her crystallized form, bending and refracting the eerie glow cast by the mako inside the cave. Just underneath the liquid's surface were two items that immediately drew Vincent's attention.

One was a large hand-cannon with "Death Penalty" inscribed on its grip. The silver gun was shaped in a cross and permeated a sort of darkness. Where it had come from, Vincent was clueless. It seemed so out of place and yet…

Vincent shook his head and turned his gaze to the next, much smaller item. It was a simple ball of materia, glowing a faint crimson color. The gunman bent over gingerly and picked it up. It suddenly shattered and the swirling, crimson mist flew at Vincent and straight into the man's chest. Vincent's eyes went wide and he gagged at the feeling of such a strange yet familiar presence.

Inside his head, a small voice seemed to creep from the back of his mind and whispered commandingly, "_Awaken._" Vincent felt himself grow weak and collapse to his knees in a struggle for conscience.

_Save me from this nightmare…_

A new demon had entered his body, Vincent knew. The being tampered with his essence and muttered its name coldly, "Chaos." With little focus left, Vincent looked up to see the face of whom he'd come for. And as he stared at Lucrecia, he could almost make out the words that seemed to echo from within the crystal.

_I'm so sorry…_

_…too weak to know the truth…_

_…I love you._

* * *

Quietly and without notice, a small leaf gently arched downwards into Nibelheim. It was given a slight push by a warm, calming breeze and landed softly in the shade.

Under a tree.


	4. Finale

Had a reviewer tell me about a scene that I TOTALLY forgot. And yes, I agree, it was _begging_ to be written.

So I wrote it.

I want to thank all of you who reviewed! It really made me happy to receive such nice responses to this story. And thanks for reading!

Cheers!

_

* * *

_

_Three years…_

Vincent Valentine sat idly in Lucrecia's cave. His crimson eyes were downcast and his body motionless. Only the heaving of his chest as he breathed indicated any sort of movement or life. He'd had much more on his mind lately, due to the arising threat of Deepground Soldiers.

In front of him was Lucrecia in her crystallized state, the same way he'd seen her three years ago, when he'd found the Death Penalty and awakened Chaos. She seemed so angelic but her face looked so somber, a perplexing thought to the average person. But Vincent knew why this angel was sad. He knew why this angel no longer flew on feathery wings.

Because that angel had once loved a demon.

A blinding light flashed and caused Vincent to wake from his thoughts, though he did not move. For some reason, he knew he was dreaming right now and that he couldn't wake up. Or maybe he just didn't want to.

Lucrecia floated down from above and landed softly on her feet, a calming smile apparent on her flawless face, the complete opposite of the sorrowful scientist incased in mako. She moved towards Vincent, who remained still, and leaned down to speak to him.

"Hello Vincent," she spoke with an air of friendliness. Her smile faltered for a moment, but Lucrecia recovered and stood back up to her full length and ambled around the dark man before her.

"Something's wrong," Lucrecia sighed. "You see, this is me, but only in a sense." Lucrecia's smile faltered again and this time it took her a few moments to regain her composure. "It is merely a reflection created with my remaining data. The real me crumbled away long ago." Even for just a reflection of herself, it hurt to speak those words to Vincent.

_…too weak…_

She allowed herself a moment to take a breath before continuing, readying herself to tell the truth. It was hard of course, but this fragment of data had been stored simply for this purpose. If Lucrecia did not go through with this she might as well not have even stored this data.

"Vincent. Do you remember our place? Under that tree?" Lucrecia glanced over at the motionless gunman before smiling and turning away. With her data she managed to change the pigments of the inside cave and allow Vincent and herself to be under their tree together. Like in the old days.

"The warm breeze on our skin…," she giggled lightly in reminiscence of Vincent's words to her after waking. Lucrecia took another look at the present Vincent and felt her heart wrench as she noted what he'd become. And she knew exactly why…and it was all her fault.

"I know it no longer exists," she sighed again and lowered her head at the thought of their sacred place. Yes, the oak tree was still somewhere, probably leaning in age and decaying in its final years of life. But what no longer existed was a place for them to talk and laugh and live life without the lies created by fear and confusion. No longer was there a place for them to simply forget their cares and cast away their doubts, living their true feelings and thoughts. That no longer existed in either of their hearts and it was all because of her.

_…too many regrets…_

Vincent had said and done nothing the whole time and even now continued to just sit. But inside he felts his emotions were becoming vulnerable and surfacing as Lucrecia spoke to him about what she'd truly felt. The truth was becoming clear and Vincent realized that he'd wasted too many years of his life hiding from what pained him. Now he was here, watching the person he'd loved and moped over for many years speak to him of days long past. It made Vincent nostalgic and he suddenly wanted to just turn back the clock and go back to the days of carefree laughs and picnics under trees.

Lucrecia placed her arms behind her back, leaning forward and sniffing the air. "Things fade with time, as do many things in this world." She allowed herself a final moment of silence before turning to face the idle Vincent and letting some of the emotions loose.

"But there are some things we cannot let disappear." She felt desperate to return to her body and fix her mistakes, but she knew that was impossible. Vincent noted that Lucrecia masked her feelings well, even in a data fragment. It was that look in her eyes and the general atmosphere surrounding their once holy place that told him how much she regretted the things she'd done and decisions she'd made.

_…love._

"I finally…I finally realized my true feelings. Even if you may never understand them," Lucrecia smiled while studying Vincent. He hadn't moved or said a single word during this whole thing. But she hadn't expected him to. This must be a lot on him after living a world of low self-esteem and an endless sea of lies.

_…too many lies…_

Lucrecia twirled happily and another giggled pressed forth from her as she spoke her next words, "Not that I mind, though." The phrase caused both to take a quick return to the past, clawing to return to those days without knowledge of the present and to live happily with their true thoughts and feelings and no regrets.

"But…," Lucrecia choked back her sobs. She abhorred her decisions and mistakes and now her voice and emotions betrayed her. No longer could she hide them from Vincent and the data fragments of her feelings broke down quietly, so not as to make Vincent feel bad. "This isn't how it was supposed to be."

_…why?_

Vincent saw her slight twitch and her body lurch forward in angry, sorrowful sobs. Yet he could not move nor get up, as if pinned down by his heart and shackled by his doubts. Again his emotions threatened to overwhelm him as they were to Lucrecia, but they held their places strong and stubbornly at the back of his mind. However, his emptiness was no longer a simple void of thought. He could actually feel the panging of his heart and the hot, wet tears as they formed in his eyes.

_…too many mistakes._

"I've made too many mistakes," Lucrecia continued, ignoring the tears now trailing down her cheeks. "And I've hurt you so, so much." This caused Lucrecia to burst out into a small spurt of weeping once more, the truth beating on her mind and heart as she finally accepted herself for what she was and took the responsibility of her lies and actions.

"Why did I do what I did?" she asked herself more than she asked Vincent, wiping the droplets from her eyes and face. A whimper escaped her as her image began to fade, the background of the tree along with her. Her voice became distorted and her body would phase out as she spoke her final words to Vincent under their tree.

Vincent couldn't bring himself to say a word as he watched Lucrecia slowly fading away into the fragments of data that had been stored. Not even his lips twitched slightly nor did his fingers move at all. Inside though, he felt that swelling of emotions on the brink. The borderline of stable and unstable came into view as his feelings began to bulge and cause him to break, threatening to at any moment now.

"I'm so sorry."

_…so sorry…_

Lucrecia finally phased out with only an echo of her last words to Vincent, whispering softly, "But I'm so happy you survived." And then she was gone from that place and Vincent felt the dam break and his emotions flood over him. In a blind state, he stood and pressed his metallic gauntlet against the tree and felt the tears fall from eyes like a heavy downpour of sorrow.

His mind and body faltered him and he leaned against the tree for support. The tears continued to fall and he squinted his eyes as the full realization that Lucrecia was gone hit him. Vincent's fingers dug into the tree, yelling her name out in anguish.

"Lucrecia!"

He fell forward, unable to keep himself upright. Vincent was on his knees and opened his arms wide, crying out in a furious depression and all his pent up emotions became loose. He slammed his fist against the ground and fell on all fours, all the while his tears continuing to pour from his eyes.

Vincent roared out in pain and felt himself go limp, falling to the ground and closing his eyes. When he reopened them, he felt different. His face was not wet and he was nowhere near the tree in his dreams. He was flying in the air as Chaos and suddenly felt a slight relief. He was free of those emotions that had held him back for so long.

It was time to put an end to Omega.

* * *

_Never give up hope. Never…_

Vincent sat in front of her again. It was different now though and he felt a weight being lifted off his shoulders. No longer did looking at her cause him to regret everything. Now she seemed like an angel of life that gave him the strength he needed when he'd needed it and her most.

"Lucrecia," he murmured softly, a soft smile pulling at his lips. "Everything's alright now. Omega and Chaos have returned to the planet." Vincent stood and dusted his cape off with a slick flick of his hand, his gaze still on Lucrecia.

"Thank you. It was you. You were the reason I survived."

_Say you love me…_

_I love you…_

_…why?_

_Because you saved me from the nightmare…_

A single tear rolled down Lucrecia's cheek as Vincent turned on his heel and walked away quietly, a warmness surrounding him that hadn't been there before. He stepped out from the cave and spotted Shelke on the ledge overlooking the large lake underneath.

"Everyone's waiting, Vincent Valentine." She had her back to him and her hands came together behind her back. Shelke turned her head slightly and gave Vincent a small, gentle smile.

"I don't know why they made me come up here and get you," she sighed, joking with Vincent in a way only he would know. A smirk formed on the gunman's lips as she turned and gave him an even bigger, warmer smile.

"Not that I mind, though."

_Under a Tree (Tree leaves)_

_Fin_


End file.
